Access thousands of free eBooks and audiobooks with a library card

By Michelle Blaylock  

Hello from the William Bradford Huie Library of Hartselle. I was recently talking to someone who preferred e-Books to printed books and was very surprised to learn that with a library card, she could have access to thousands of eBooks and audiobooks by just downloading the free apps, Libby and Hoopla.   

Libby offers more than 57,900 titles in the form of eBooks and audiobooks.  There are books for all age groups and many different genres such as romance, mystery, thrillers, suspense, historical fiction, non-fiction, beginner readers, juvenile fiction and many more.  Patrons can check out an unlimited number of books, but not more than five at a time.   

Hoopla offers a much bigger selection including 774,000 eBooks, 198,000 audiobooks, 25,000 movies, 377,000 music albums, 45,000 television episodes, and 28,000 graphic novels.   Patrons have a borrowing limit of seven titles per month.   Hoopla is also available on Roku televisions if you prefer to view movies or television episodes on a screen larger than a tablet or cell phone.  

These apps are very easy to use.  However, if you have any difficulty with them, our librarians are here to help, just give us a call or stop by the library.   If you would like to try Libby or Hoopla, and need your library card number, please call the library and after verification we will provide you with your number.  If you do not have a library card and live in Morgan County, please stop by the library with proof of address such as driver’s license, rental agreement, utility bill, or mail provided it has your name and address and is postmarked in the last thirty days. Our librarians will be happy to set up a library card for you. Library cards are free to Morgan County residents.  

Hope to see you soon at the library!